Ritual

Misia | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 14, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Erato
• ASIN: B000059ZHS
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #257,400 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #70 in Music > World Music > Europe > Continental Europe > Portugal

Track Listings

1. Nao Guardo Saudade A Vida

2. Xaile De Silencio

3. Duas Luas

4. Desespero

5. Decisao

6. Cor De Lua

7. Formiga

8. O Verso Em Que Peco

9. Lagrima

10. Misterio Lunar

11. Ainda Assim

12. A Beira Da Minha Rua

13. Vivendo Sem Mim

14. Duas Luas (video)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

One of the more aesthetically minded modern-day fado singers, Mísia has been carefully cultivating a distinct image and stage presence that stands out amid a field filled with stylish singers. But even with her piquant image, it's hard to ignore Mísia's spellbinding voice. Singing in Portuguese, this diva potently projects feelings of melancholy, sadness, and romantic longing, which are all cornerstones of this emotional strain of Mediterranean folk music. Ritual, the singer's third domestic release, matches the unbridled beauty of the amazing Paixoes Diagonais, which was issued in 1999. She scales back to a solid acoustic guitar trio (the typical lineup for fado) on Ritual and keeps them on a tight leash, but this only leaves more room for the singer to soar. She carries the load herself on a solo rendition of "Á Beira da Minha Rua," and it simply reaffirms how much passion and music is packed in this one special voice. --Tad Hendrickson

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Emotional and Authentic Fado, October 14, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Ritual (Audio CD)

This is an amazing collection of fados. As a fado guitarrist, I was drawn to this CD by its musicians: Carlos Goncalves on the guitarra and Joel Pina on bass, both who were Amalia Rodrigues' players during the latter part of her career. However, I was taken aback not only by the superb and emotional performance by the musicians, but also by Misia's interpretation of these classic fados with new poems. There is more emotion in her performance than with nearly any other fadista today, leaving the listener with a direct feeling of the anguish and pain she is conveying. The impact is even more powerful when you concentrate on the words. Misia and the musicians have breathed new life into classic fado, and in the process have shown that classic fado, when performed with conviction and emotion, is a powerful art form.

The production and engineering staff also deserve special credit, for this recording contains minimal studio polish and all the tracks were cut "live" with no overdubs or punch-ins. Although you occasionally hear tuning problems with the guitarra (or in one instance, the vocal), the result is a true performance with all the impact that fado can have. The minimal polish and the continuity and integrity of the performances greatly enhance the communication of the feelings expressed through these fados.

You don't need to know a word of portuguese to get the impact of this CD. Just listen and let yourself be drawn into Misia's fados. It will be unforgettable.

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Emotional & Beautiful Voice, But Portuguese Guitar Annoying, July 15, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ritual (Audio CD)

I am not an expert on fado, but: (1) my CD library includes one by Amália Rodrigues; (2) I can generally distinguish between the fado styles of Coimbra and Lisbon (the latter more "emotional"); and (3) the concept of "saudade" ("yearning" is the closest translation) is not entirely foreign to me. I bought this album after the New York Times ran an article on July 7, 2002, about Mísia and this album (Ritual) entitled "Drawing Tears In Any Language." The article by Johanna Keller begins "her voice can be like smoke, velvet or acid," which was intriguing. (If you don't want to buy the article on the Web site of the Times, you can find Jacki Lyden's July 13, 2002, interview of Mísia at the National Public Radio site.)

After Amazon shipped me the CD, I discovered what the NYT reporter meant. What emotions, what a beautiful voice, what intelligent (but mostly downbeat) text! Here are the titles of the songs in English, with some brief excerpts to show how depressing the words are: 1) "I Don't Long for Life"; 2) "Shawl of Silence" ("pained by the flame of bitterness"); 3) "Two Moons" ("they are both crossed"); 4) "Despair"; 5) "Decision" ("we die for the dead who kill us"); 6) "Moon Colour" ("this lake of Longing has no bottom"); 7) "Ant" ("I ordered the guitar to play to show the gentlemen that I forget all pain"); 8) "The Verse in Which I Sin"; 9) "Tear" ("full of sorrow"); 10) "Lunar Mystery" ("woe to anyone who never dreamed in order not to suffer"); 11) "Even So" ("it still wasn't pain and it was hurt"); 12) "In the Nearness of My Street" ("I folded my voice with the wounds"); and 13) "Living Without Me." The CD includes a MPEG video of "Duas Luas," the visuals of which are more buoyant than the lyrics.

The only aspect that was a little hard to take was the Portuguese guitar ("guitarra"), which at times sounded to me like an out-of-tune plastic-stringed toy ukulele (maybe it's my cultural idiosyncrasy). I liked the regular and bass guitars better as accompaniment, as well as the piano (on track 13 only). In summary, this is no fluffy pablum. It's great, serious adult music to be listened to attentively when you want to be in a longing mood.

BTW, don't confuse this Mísia (note the accent over the first "i") from Portugal with the Japanese singer Misia. In reverse chronological order, this Mísia has recorded the albums "Paixões diagonais" ("Diagonal passions"), "Garras dos sentidos" ("Claws of feelings"), "Tanto menos tanto mais" ("So much less, so much more"), "Fado," and "Mísia." You can buy several of these at Amazon.com!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dramatic, Emotional, Plaintive, Beautiful, February 24, 2003

By 

Neal C. Reynolds (Indianapolis, Indiana) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ritual (Audio CD)

Be prepared. This is a woman baring her soul. You don't have to understand the Portugese language to hear this in her voice. This isn't self-pitying, as much as opening up and letting the emotion show.

I can tell you that these songs are fados, but I can't explain what fados are. This is a form of music which I believe has to be heard and experienced, not explained. I have heard other Portugese singers including the form in their CDs, but Misia has a special poignancy in her delivery. Her voice is controlled, but vibrant and highly emotive.

This is world music at its most personal and its best.